Outdoors - Hunting and Fishing

For being such a pretty site, it’s not a pretty picture. The picture being painted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials is looking rather dire. For several months now, CPW discussions have centered on the uncertain future of the agency, hunting and fishing issues, and now, the future of Colorado’s 42 state parks. It’s a simple issue: Money and more specifically, not enough of it to fund the future of the growing needs of the state parks. At a recent public meeting ...

Early November and it might as well be mid-October if you’re trying to figure out the weather patterns prior to a day outdoors. Anglers are looking askance at suggestions of putting aside their graphite rods and instead go shuffling through the brush and dried grasses of the high country in pursuit of elk. Why bother with blazing your way through the mountains when the days still are conducive to standing in a stream, picking though fly boxes, searching for something to match the ...

Train to Hunt is coming to Powderhorn Mountain Resort. The Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission recently announced that the Train to Hunt regional qualifier and national competition will be held at Powderhorn next summer. The regional qualifier will take place on June 24. The national championships take place from July 8–9. Train to Hunt is a national organization dedicated to extending wellness and improving the performance of hunters through intense exercise programs. It ...

November. In our current Julian calendar, November is the 11th month. But not always so. The Romans considered it the 9th month. In Latin, the word for nine is novem. Yes, I looked that up. So I don’t know if the Romans fished all that much. Maybe the rich people went for fun and everybody else fished for food. But what I do know is that if they didn’t go fishing in November, they missed out. Which is to say, don’t you miss out! But where? The high country is headed for ...

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers are investigating a pair of big-game incidents. A bull elk carcass was dumped along Ute Pass Road near mile marker three, north of Silverthorne. CPW learned about the carcass on Oct. 6 and is asking the public for help identifying the person responsible. According to District Wildlife Manager Elissa Knox, the elk had been field dressed, quartered and placed in game bags; however, one rear quarter, a backstrap and the head and antlers were missing. The ...

The spoiler version of Matt and Darryl’s 2016 Colorado hunting trip goes like this: Darryl spots deer, Matt shoots deer, time to celebrate. That, however, is just the large print in the ongoing story of two long-time friends and their outdoor adventures. The fact that Air Force veteran Matt Teasdale of Lake Gaston, N.C., this fall bagged his second blackpowder Colorado mule deer in three years is interesting enough, as is his ability matching the boundless optimism voiced by ...

Some things in life are backwards. If you have a bucket list — many people do — then you probably started making your list later in life. Or else you are too young to think about it much yet. Seems like we should make our list when we are young. That way, one has time to get it done rather than it being a more urgent matter in our senior years. A bucket list could be long — very long. Why wouldn’t everyone want to do everything? So really, for an idea to actually ...

The boating season at Highline Lake State Park is coming to an end. The reservoir will close to boating beginning Oct. 1. This is will help create suitable conditions for a variety of waterfowl that winter in the park each year. It’s also a busy time at the park for hunters. Small game hunting began at Highline Lake State Park on Sept. 5 and Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials remind hunters that small game hunting is allowed Monday through Friday, one-half hour before ...

Everybody has their favorite kind of water. What’s yours? Lakes, rivers? Large, small? Big, little? Maybe all — maybe you can’t choose for fear of missing something. I suppose that’s me. But wow do I like the Taylor! Big enough to have good fish not even counting the tailwater below the dam, yet small enough to wade with late summer flows. A road all along the way with ample pulloffs and public water, but remote enough to not be crowded. Spin fish or fly fish, wet ...

Wildlife poaching continues to be a major issue in all of Colorado. Some national studies indicate poachers kill almost as many animals as legitimate hunters do during legal seasons. If poachers kill even half that number each year, the problem is serious because they are stealing game from licensed hunters, robbing businesses and taxpayers of revenues generated by hunting, and depriving us all of a valuable resource — our wildlife. It’s not just game animals that poachers ...

August brings a certain soft melancholy to what otherwise is a glorious end to summer. The razor-sharp bite of mid-summer heat has dulled while days remain long and linger to well past the dinner hour. The high country still carries a blanket of wildflowers. But wait. A careful observer notices the hours of daylight are slightly fewer than one month ago and some of the brilliance is gone from that mantle of flowers, as though a bit weary of flaunting its lively brilliance. Marmots and ...

Elk Hunting 101 class is Wednesday Colorado Parks and Wildlife will host a free “Elk Hunting 101” class, Wednesday at the Hunter Education Building, 711 Independent Avenue in Grand Junction. The one-evening seminar is offered through CPW’s Hunter Outreach Program and is co-sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Space is limited and registration is required. To reserve your spot, call 970-255-6181. “This is one of our more popular seminars because it ...

We were mostly by ourselves. Considering there is a good road next to a good river, that seems somewhat amazing. Normally in the fishing quest, it is a tradeoff of ease of access vs. solitude. Easy access means you’ll have some company and solitude can be difficult to get to, probably requiring a hike. But then, when you consider the population of Hinsdale County, maybe the quietness isn’t so amazing. Hinsdale County, which is practically speaking the same as Lake City, is ...

Colorado Parks and Wildlife researchers see an opportunity for further study and discussion after results of a recent mule deer study were published in Global Change Biology. CPW, along with other collaborators, agree habitat loss and degradation have long been assumed to be among the greatest factors causing mule deer declines. For the past few decades, western state fish and wildlife agencies have been concerned about the status and trend of mule deer populations. In 2014, CPW ...

Hunters and anglers are divided about a proposal by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to increase hunting and fishing fees for the coming calendar year. Sportsmen from around the region had a chance to enter the discussion with members of CPW during a presentation held at the Colorado Mesa University campus last week. The presentation painted a grim financial picture for CPW in the coming years, with officials saying programs and full-time employees will be lost statewide if more revenue ...

Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Ute Water Conservancy District are cooperating to temporarily lift the catch-and-release restrictions for bluegill at Jerry Creek Reservoir No. 1, beginning July 29 and running through 11:59 p.m. on July 31. All restrictions for other fish species will remain in effect at the reservoir and all other waters across the State of Colorado. Fishing at the reservoir is only permitted during daylight hours. The reservoir, a domestic water supply for Grand Valley ...

“Gosh, I really want to get started in flyfishing, but I just can’t afford it. Man, it would just cost too much! Why, I’d have to buy one of them fancy high-dollar rods, and then my neighbor was showing me his new top-of-the-line reel that he just bought, and the guy on TV was talking about so many different fly lines that you could have tied up a jail full of criminals. “And then what about all that other stuff you have to have? Some of those fishing vests look ...

Hunters and anglers, or anyone who wants their voice heard regarding wildlife issues, will have that opportunity when Colorado Parks and Wildlife conducts its Northwest Region Sportsmen’s Roundtable caucus in Grand Junction on July 13 at Colorado Mesa University in the Meyer Ballroom in the University Center. Several important topics are on the agenda, including the election of two regional representatives and a presentation by CPW’s Policy and Planning section seeking ...

Outdoor First Aid workshop planned for area hunters With the big game hunting seasons approaching, hunters need to make sure they have the proper gear, firearm and knowledge about the hunting areas. One critical skill all hunters should learn is what to do in case of a medical emergency while in the backcountry. Colorado Parks and Wildlife will host an Outdoor First Aid 101 workshop in July 27 at the CPW Hunter Education Building, 711 Independent Avenue in Grand Junction, beginning ...

Women’s Cast and Blast event is June 26 Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the National Rifle Association are partnering to offer a free, women-only Cast and Blast on June 26, in Basalt. All women 18 and older interested in learning how to fly fish and use shotguns safely are encouraged to apply. Offered through Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Hunter Outreach Program, women-only Cast and Blast seminars are among the most popular and fill quickly. For details and registration, ...